Today marks the halfway mark of the election campaign with four days to polling day, and Abdul Fatah said the party is determined to retain its hold on the seat.

Giving away very little about the surprises, he allowed a peep into the PAS election strategy.

“People speculated that deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa would not come. Similarly, there were rumours a that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s posters were not put up.”

Fence-sitters to be swayed

“However, as you may see Nasharuddin will be coming in the next one or two days. The same with Abdul Hadi, his posters have also been put-up,” he told a press conference at the PAS operations room.

PAS is facing a straight fight with Umno/BN in this Manek Urai by-election. Umno’s candidate former South Kelantan Development manager Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat is facing off fish wholsaler Mohd Fauzi Abdullah of PAS.

The seat fell vacant with the sudden death of five-term assemblyperson Ismail Yaacob on May 22. Polling day has been set for Tuesday, July 14.

Abdul Fatah on commenting the support for Mohd Fauzi said the party has already touched base with 70 per cent of the electorate.

He was confident that the constituents, including fence sitters, will return PAS.-Sugu

He also dismissed Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s remark that there is the possibility of the Manek Urai youth vote going to the BN as they were upset with the failure of the PAS-UMNO unity talk.

“He is just making empty claims without much facts. The youths here are with us,” he said.

Yesterday, Kelantan Umno chief and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed told reporters that Umno is not within the “comfort zone” in wresting the seat from this PAS stronghold.

Abdul Fatah, also told the media that the party wants a forum with Petronas to reveal all on the oil royalty issue hopefully before polling day.

It does not matter who organises it, PAS or Petronas, he added. The party will make public the documents when there is a need, he said.